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https://theconversation.com/thailands-conservative-elites-oust-prime-minister-and-ban-opposition-236887>
"Thailand’s Constitutional Court has dissolved the country’s largest opposition
party and official winner of the 2023 general election, Move Forward. The same
court has now dismissed Thailand’s prime minister, Srettha Thavisin, in an
ethics case for appointing a cabinet minister who was once jailed.
The dissolution of Move Forward was widely expected. Thailand’s conservative
royalist-military establishment has dominated the country’s politics for more
than six decades. And Move Forward’s progressive political agenda had been a
thorn in the establishment’s side since 2018, when the party’s predecessor,
Future Forward, entered politics.
Future Forward was dissolved by the constitutional court in February 2020, less
than a year after it placed third in the 2019 general election. The disbanding
of the party triggered a wave of unprecedented pro-democracy protests
throughout 2020 and 2021.
These protests, which were led by the country’s youth, called for wide-ranging
political reforms, including to the previously sacrosanct monarchy. They fed
into the popularity of Move Forward, whose victory in the 2023 election shocked
the royalist-military establishment.
Compared to Move Forward’s dissolution, the court’s ruling against Srettha was
more surprising. This was reflected in the close nature of the ruling, in which
only five of the nine judges were in favour of Srettha’s dismissal. The
closeness of this call makes any interpretation of its meaning more difficult."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
